Two Fraserburgh men have been jailed after they were found guilty of abducting and burning a 17-year-old boy with a red-hot iron during a party.
Jodie Forman, 33, and Bobby Hendry, 32, were convicted at Aberdeen Sheriff Court last month of the horrifying attack on the teen in July 2020.
Forman also faced a separate charge of stabbing a 21-year-old in the foot before searing his arm with a hot iron.
A jury found Forman guilty by unanimous verdict on both charges, while Hendry was found guilty by majority verdict.
The court heard evidence during the trial that the men were initially friendly with the teen before allegedly flipping “like a switch” and tying him to the chair with masking tape across the legs, body and face.
The teenager, who is now 19, claimed he was “petrified” as a clothes iron was placed on his skin by Forman, causing the hair on his arms to “sizzle”.
Witness Liam Ramsey, who was there on the night the 17-year-old was assaulted, described the attack quickly escalating from a “little bit of bullying and character building” to “a crime being committed”.
The teenage victim has since had the burn marks covered by a tattoo due to the trauma he experienced, the court was told.
A second man told the court that Forman stabbed him in the foot with a kitchen knife for “being cheeky” in August 2020, before producing a red-hot iron and burning his forearm.
Forman has several previous convictions for violent assaults dating back to 2007.
Hendry also has previous convictions for violent offending.
Accused is ‘disgusted’ by his behaviour
Forman’s defence agent Iain Jane told the court that his client accepted that a “custodial sentence was the only option to the court”.
He said: “He has accepted the verdict of the jury without equivocation and he appears to be genuinely disgusted by the way in which he has behaved over the course of the two charges.
“The situation that Mr Forman found himself in before the Covid-19 lockdown led to an increase in him using alcohol and drugs – culminating in these offences being committed.”
Sam Milligan, defence agent for Henry, said that his client’s previous record of convictions “does him no favours”.
He added: “Mr Henry has clearly related during his remand period on his role and the life that he has lived up until now and he has sought to resolve previous addiction issues.”
‘You are both responsible for what happened to this young man’
Sheriff Andrew Miller described Forman and Henry’s actions toward the teenager as “a serious and disturbing offence”.
He said: “During a sudden change in your mood and behaviour you both participated in binding his hands, feet torso and head with tape and then burning him with a hot iron held by you, Jodie Forman.
“This was clearly a terrifying ordeal for your victim whose family subsequently noticed changes in his personality.
“You, Jodie Forman, say in your criminal justice social work report that you have no recollection of your involvement in this offence due to the effects of alcohol and drugs.
“You both acted together and you are both responsible for what happened to this young man.”
Sheriff Miller also commented on Forman’s conviction for stabbing and burning another man with an iron, calling it “a disturbing crime” committed only a month after his attack on the 17-year-old.
He continued: “This crime had a significant impact on the victim and he said that as a result of this offence did not want to leave his house.”
Sheriff Miller sentenced Forman to four-and-a-half years in prison and an additional one year on licence upon his release.
He sentenced Henry to three-and-a-half years imprisonment, backdated to August 24 2020.
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